The crew on the command
and control aircraft was buckled in and awaiting takeoff. It was 6 a.m.,
and the mission was to support an Army exercise called Lancer Lightning,
almost five hours northwest, at a location over Washington’s Mount
Rainier.

The 16th
Airborne Command and Control Squadron patch on the shoulders of the crew
members declares they “light the way.” Yet on this dark, early
morning at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., there was little spark in these
drowsy airmen as they waited to travel across three time zones.

That sleepy
state got a jump start 45 minutes later. An onboard emergency forced the
crew to don yellow, rubber oxygen masks to protect them from fumes in
the aircraft. Within minutes, the odor from an overheated console cleared,
and the masks were removed. The planned simulated mask exercise, announced
at the beginning of the flight, was no longer necessary. Everyone reacted
quickly to this real-world situation. Despite the early morning “show
time,” it seemed this kind of flexibility kept these crew members
sharp and focused.

The joint
surveillance target attack radar system — or JSTARS — was
born through an agreement between the Air Force and Army to provide ground-situation
information. In September 1996, the system was approved for full-rate
production of 14 aircraft. Twelve have been delivered to the 93rd Air
Control Wing at Robins — the only site to house the aircraft. The
system provides coordination via secure data links between Air Force air
operations centers, Army mobile ground stations and centers of military
analysis away from the point of conflict.

That means
one of the platform’s primary missions is to support the “dance”
of Army ground operations. As the senior director, Capt. Pete Haussler
is the equivalent of a “choreographer.” He ensures on-board
sections combine to create an operational work of art.

He uses
intelligence and radar data to convey threat information to weapons and
surveillance operators, and the sensor management officer. Like many of
his fellow crew mates, Haussler came to the 93rd with an extensive airborne
warning and control system background. With eight years’ experience
on the E-3 Sentry, Haussler knows it’s been a challenge to define
the newer platform’s joint operational role within the aerospace
force.

“JSTARS
focuses on the mission requirements of the Army’s ground component
commander,” he said. “It presents a capability many ground
commanders may have never had in the past.”

Although
he admits “marketing” the aircraft’s technology is difficult,
he’s convinced the importance of providing an accurate ground picture
is solidified with every training opportunity. Especially since the system
can determine the direction, speed, patterns and types of ground vehicles
and low-flying aircraft.

It’s
the most sophisticated radar on an Air Force plane, and it can monitor
ground movement as subtle as a windmill turning in the breeze, locate
a parked vehicle or identify the details of a surface crater with the
touch of a button. And it can be tailored to meet the needs of a specific
mission, balancing timing, quantity and quality.

What’s
more, its radar can do all this under the cover of darkness and in inclement
weather, meaning the enemy can’t hide, especially

Staff
Sgt. Craig Shoun (left), an aerospace propulsion mechanic with the
93rd Aircraft Generation Squadron, enters repair data on a laptop
as Staff Sgt. Shannon Lambert, a jet propulsion craftsman, fixes loose
hardware on the nose cowl of the aircraft. Official Air Force
Photo by Master Sgt. John E. Lasky

on moonless,
cloudy nights.

To the handful
of soldiers working aboard, this is music to their ears. Army Maj. David
Ponsell III gets to see the “air side of taking ground” as
the liaison between the ground commander and air crew. This military intelligence
officer coordinates and communicates the ground commander’s needs
through hourly reports.

But that’s
not always easy, according to Maj. Joe Richardson, mission crew commander.

“The
biggest challenge is melding the Army piece and the Air Force piece because
we work with two different commanders — the air and ground component
commanders. Balancing that out is sometimes difficult.”

Linking
the joint systems to build and relay the battlefield picture is a concerted
effort between airmen and soldiers. And despite the playful service rivalry,
there’s harmony.

“It’s
completely different and a refreshing change working with the Air Force,”
Ponsell said. “Being able to educate [airmen] and be educated by
these guys is a great opportunity. They tell me how we can best use the
aircraft, and I help them understand how we can support ground operations.”

That sentiment
is echoed by even the most junior of crew members.

“Working
with the Army isn’t an opportunity many Air Force people at my rank
get,” said Airman 1st Class Andrew Ong, an air operations technician.
“We talk the same language even though the culture’s different.
But you get used to it after awhile.”

Army Maj.
David Ponsell III (background) enters coordinates in a log while Capt.
Pete Haussler ensures the on-board sections are synchronized to provide
the best possible “data picture.” Working beside each
other has given these officers an education in perspective and an
appreciation for the mission. Official Air Force Photo by Master
Sgt. John E. Lasky

And it’s
not just rookie airmen who appreciate the scope of this joint mission.

The platform
provides a never before seen forward look for Army ground commanders.
Once they see what it provides, they’re reluctant to go without
the expanded capability, Ponsell said.

Although
they practice their mission regularly through daily flight and simulator
sorties, the crews fly all over the world supporting joint exercises as
well as Air Force and Marine Corps weapons schools.

“We
do a lot of simulated training missions,” Ong said. “But it’s
nice to have real people looking at our data because it gives us the opportunity
to show the rest of the military what we do.”

For the
last year, Ong’s been responsible for organizing radar data into
useful information from one of the plane’s 17 operations consoles.
His assignment at Robins is his first. And despite his rookie enthusiasm,
he understands the challenges of the mission.

“We
do a job that a lot of people don’t understand because we’re
so new,” he said. “We don’t exactly have our own place
in the Air Force yet. But there are a lot of people working hard to get
us there.”